Tuesday Tips: Cufflinks and Toggles

What do cufflinks and toggles have to do with one another, you may ask? Well, as you'll see, one is a way of protecting the other. Allow me to 'splain....

It may not be apparent in the view above, but sometimes when operators have to lean over this part of the fascia to reach the back of the layout, they may <ahem> come into contact with those toggles . . .

And if you happen to lean into these toggles, you may inadvertently turn off the command station and/or the power. Yes, it's happened - a few times . . .

So, while trying to think of something that could protect the toggles, I came across this . . .

This is a cufflinks box. I don't even know why I had it nor how I got it. But it was just laying around and I happened to spot it at the right time.

When I opened it and felt how nicely it popped open, stayed open, and popped closed, I got a wonderful, awful idea . . .

Why not drill some holes for the toggles? So that's what I did.

Thankfully, the toggles themselves don't poke out too far (though apparently too far for some operators :^) . . .

. . . to allow the box to shut. Talk about an elegant solution!

And as you may have guessed from the previous photos, I came up with this a while back (still trying to catch the blog up to current times) - so here it is as it looks today. Classy!

While I was going through all this, it occurred to me that every time I powered up the layout a bunch of engines would power up as well. Not only does that create a bit of a racket (especially when you're just troubleshooting something, or wanting to run one engine), but creates an unnecessary power surge on the command station.

So I decided to proved some "cut-out" switches for the tracks that those engines typically occupy.  I had not plain-ol' toggle switches on-hand, but I did have a few spare wall light switches. Those turned out to be a more elegant solution (detecting a theme here?) and - bonus! - no soldering required.

First step is to use the faceplate to help locate the switch.

And I traced around the switch itself to get an idea of how large to make the opening in the fascia.

I used a 1" spade bit to drill 3 holes, one on top of the other . . .

Then it's just a matter of cutting one wire that's supplying power to the track you want to isolate and attaching the two ends to the screw terminals on the switch.

This creates a nice, intuitive on/off switch for the track (even better if you label which track it controls!).

Now I can store engines on "Yard 1" and not have to worry about them starting up until I want them to start up.

Being so successful with one track, I figured I'd next tackle multiple tracks . . .

Using the same techniques I described above, I used one switch to cut power to a pit track and another switch to cut power to my entire west end staging yard (for an article on this "Staging Yard in a Box" check out the September 2026 issue of Model Railroader :^)

This project was a little more complicated than the earlier effort since it involved more wires and required more careful attention to the location of the switches themselves so they'd fit nicely in the switchplate/cover.

But, again, a nice looking solution to a common problem. If you can't source toggle switches (and having Radio Shack disappear makes that more difficult), or if you don't like soldering, try giving regular light switches a try. You may find that you prefer them, despite their taking up quite a bit more space on your fascia.

Tuesday Tip - Decanting Paint

I'm sorry. This blog has been neglected for FAR too long and I hope to start remedying that with this post. I'll admit, the ease and instant feedback of Facebook has succeeded in grabbing all my attention for The Valley Local, and that's been to the detriment of those of you that don't follow the 'local on FB (click here if you're curious). But how many of you are still here?  God bless you if you are, and I'd really like to know. . . 

So - if you don't follow on FB, but would like to continue seeing content here, please take a moment and drop an encouraging line in the comments. It'd be really good to know there are folks still tuning in here.

That all said, I do plan to post more content here - if only because I own it and it's not subject to the vagaries of FB. So, here we go!

I'll start off with something easy, and save a more in-depth layout update for after I know there's anybody here :^)

Decanting Paint 

Heh - not really starting off with a huge bang, but I recently discovered that this is very helpful. My ground goop is a mixture of equal parts of floor sanding dust, white glue, and "dirt" brown paint. It's easy enough to scoop dust and pour glue from the bottle, but scooping or pouring the paint out of a gallon can is always messy.

So I finally decided to save an old juice carton to store it. As you can (hopefully) see in the photo above, I've attached a "lip" to the edge of the can and used a homemade funnel (cut the top off of a water bottle) to pour it into to the carton. Before doing so - and just for good measure - I used a mixer in my drill to make sure the paint was well mixed before pouring.

Now, all I have to do is pour the paint from the carton - easy peasy! Just be sure to save the can - or at least the label that shows your custom mix. Once you find a color you like, you'll want to be sure you can get it again!

This is getting a little ridiculous - and a Tuesday Tip

My last actual update was way back on January 18 - before the big Springfield/Amherst show. Since then, all I've posted have been photos - and even those haven't been posted so often. I've missed more than a few Wordless Wednesdays along the way.

Unfortunately for this blog, the Valley Local Facebook group is much easier to post to. And even that has suffered these past couple of months due to a variety of things including the before and aftermath of the Springfield show, coming down with COVID, the start of my legislative session, helping a friend dismantle his layout, and having the basement flood. But not all of you are on Facebook, so you haven't seen any of those updates.

As for the layout, I have managed to do some more scenery in Saybrook - including installation of some walkways, finally finished the Sunset Diner in Cromwell - including a sign, and I ripped out and redid the scenery at Camp Bethel.

The last post in pictures showed all that, as well as the mocking up I'm doing in Middletown, and some photos of Pete's layout demolition. That last post is from over a month ago. For the last two weekends since then, I've been dealing with the basement flood and cleanup. Fortunately, the layout wasn't damaged.

I guess all this is by way of some excuse explanation for why the blog has suffered. I just don't have the time right now to keep up with it as regularly as I'd like. And what time I do have, I'd rather spend working on the layout rather than writing about it. Hopefully this'll change for the better when my time frees up after May 8 . . .

In the meantime, I will try to post here when I can share something quick and especially helpful - like window glazing. . .

I discovered a building I'd received some time ago from Bill Maguire had some windows that needed "glass." They're really nicely done windows - with top and bottom sashes on different planes, like the prototype. So, instead of cutting two little pieces of clear styrene really precisely per window (otherwise there would have been a gap between the "glass" and the lower sash), I decided to use some Microscale Micro Kristal Klear for glazing. I applied it with a toothpick around the edges of each opening, and then "pulled" it across the opening to basically create a bubble that covered the opening.

Then I set them aside to dry, face up. . . 

That ended up being a HUGE fail since the glazing oozed down to the work surface, essentially gluing the windows to the bench. Fortunately, I realized my mistake in time to pull up the windows and redo the glazing.

This time, I had them dry face down . . .

I'm pretty pleased with how they came out - especially when compared to the time it would have taken to cut up 12 little squares of styrene. If the sashes were on the same plane, I could have just gotten by with one large piece of styrene - not precision cut to fit - per window. But this process is quick enough.

If you try this technique, here are some Pro Tips:

• Use the point of a toothpick to apply with some precision.
• Apply to the back so you don't get any (or only little) material on the front.
• Don't be bashful about the amount of material you use, just don't use so much you goop it all over the window. The material does shrink a bit when drying, so you need enough to be able to "pull" it over the entire opening.
• Let the windows dry face down and/or on wax paper so they don't stick to the surface you're drying them on.

As they say, your mileage may vary, but I like this technique enough that I plan to use it in the future - unless/until I find some pre-cut microscope glass that'll fit :^)

Let me know if you try out the Kristal Klear and what you think about it.

And thanks also for sticking around. Unlike Facebook, I have no idea how many folks actually read the blog anymore, so it's good to know that you're out there.

In the meantime, I hope to make some more progress on the layout - and hope to have more time to share it with you here!

Till later...

Tuesday Tip: ProtoThrottle Holder Mod

I ended 2021 by finally getting down to the basement and picking some low-hanging fruit. The first thing that I decided to tackle was to modify the throttle holder for my ProtoThrottle.

You see, I'd attached the "love handle" in a location on the back of the throttle that I found comfortable - but unfortunately, it wasn't until the adhesive was firmly secured that I realized that the throttle wouldn't seat all the way in the holder. UGH!

No worries though - I figured I'd make short work of modifying the holder to accommodate the throttle & handle.

First step was to figure out how much material I'd have to remove. This was easily determined by seeing how much further the throttle would have to go down if it was firmly seated. The handle is7/8" wide and there was a gap of 1/2" between the throttle and the bottom of the holder.

So I marked off those dimensions . . .

. . . and used a cut-off disk in my Dremel to make three quick, straight cuts.

The cutting created some melted plastic around the cuts themselves, which I trimmed off with a chisel blade in my X-Acto knife.

Then it was just a matter of filing down the corners to make things look a bit nicer.

Here's the finished product, with the throttle firmly seated and the handle adequately accommodated.

Since the holder was finally finished, there was no longer any reason to hold off on installing it. Unfortunately, it didn't come with any mounting screws but I had some suitable ones on-hand (would've been more suitable if they'd been black though).

And here it is in place along with the other electronics under Middletown.

After a few days, I realized two things: 1) I'd mounted the throttle a bit too low on the fascia and figured it'd look better up higher. So I moved it. . .

and 2) I could probably have saved all this effort by just moving the "love handle" about 1/2" further up on the back of the throttle.

Ah well - at least this little project got me back in the basement after a long hiatus and kicked off the Winter 2022 modeling season. I suppose motivation sometimes arrives in mysterious fashion.

Tuesday Tip: Rock Coloring 1-2-3

How many of you have hit a roadblock in this hobby, coming face to face with a task that needed to be done and you didn't have the confidence or skill to confront it head on and Just Do It? For some, it's benchwork - and they never even start a layout, contenting themselves with being "armchair modelers" and dreaming about "someday" when they'll build a layout - as if reading Just One More Article will magically endow them with the tools & skills they need. Heck, the same thing can be said about so many aspects of the hobby, whether it's electrical work, trackwork, structure building, or - in my case - scenery.

But if I've resolved anything for this hobby in the New Year, it's to confront this obstacle head on. I've been lucky enough to have some early success - and even luckier to have friends that have helped me along the way (e.g. less than 1/2 of the finished scenery on the layout was actually done by me). Having others help you - or actually do the work for you - while wonderful, does little to nothing to help you build YOUR skill and proficiency.

You just have to do it yourself - and try, try again if at first you don't succeed.

Fortunately, I'm here to share one of the rare times when a seemingly-insurmountable scenery obstacle actually turned out to be No Big Deal. 

I'm talking about rock coloring.

Before yesterday, I'd never colored any rock castings & the only ones on the layout were done by others. But modeling a line set in Southern New England pretty much guarantees that I have to figure out how to do rocks at some point. So, now that I'm working in Dividend and will be modeling a railroad cut through a hill, it was high time to figure out how to do it.

Bare castings

I'd made some rock castings some months ago - a pretty easy process, all things considered - but they'd sat for months in the glaring white of new plaster. So, figuring I had a bunch of "extras" to practice on, I did some quick research in my extensive library of scenery books and got to it.

The same castings, now colored

In the process I discovered a technique for coloring rocks that's ridiculously simple and produces rocks that look very similar to what I see along my RR ROW everyday. I've only been coloring rocks for 2 days, so I'm certainly no expert - but I hope by sharing this super-easy technique that you'll be encouraged to try coloring some rocks too. It really is as easy as 1-2-3.

The same castings once all dry

But first, you'll need some materials.

• 3 Colors of Acrylic Craft Paint
• I used Raw Sienna, Raw Umber, and Black ($.50 ea at Walmart)
• Water
• Regular tap water is fine
• Brush
• I used a 1/4" wide cheap china brush
• Small Dixie Cups
• Bonus if they're plastic, so you don't have to worry about them getting soggy
• Medicine dosage cup
• Optional - I have plenty on-hand and the measurement markings are handy
• Stirring stick

Preparation

• Measure out 1 tablespoon of water, and pour it into one of your cups.
• Put 20 drops of Raw Sienna in the cup and mix it by stirring thoroughly
• Measure out another tablespoon of water, and pour it into your second cup.
• Put 20 drops of Raw Umber in the cup and mix it by stirring thoroughly.
• Measure out a final tablespoon of water, and pour it into your final cup.
• Put 7 drops of Black in the cup and mix it by stirring thoroughly.

Here's what you should have when you're done - 3 cups of very thin paint which we'll use to "wash" over the rock casting:

Coloring - Easy as 1-2-3

Here's the rock casting I started with - all nice and white plaster, but doesn't look like a rock.

Step 1 - Brush on Raw Sienna

Literally, just dip your brush in the cup of Raw Sienna wash and brush it all over the casting. If you get any pooled wash, just wipe your brush off on a paper towel and use the brush to daub up the puddle. When you're done, the casting will look like this:

Before you go to the next step, you need to let the casting dry. Acrylics dry relatively fast, but if you're impatient like me, you can use your wife's a hairdryer you bought just for such things to blow dry the casting much faster. Here it is once it's all dry:

Step 2 - Brush on Raw Umber

Yup - same "technique" - just dip your brush in the cup of Raw Umber wash and brush it all over the casting, using your brush to daub up any pooling as I described above. Here's the casting right after applying the Raw Umber wash:

And here it is after blow-drying:

Step 3 - Brush on Black

Can you guess what comes next? RIGHT! Just dip your brush in the cup of Black wash and brush it all over the casting, daubing up any pooling. The black really makes things start to pop. Here it is semi-wet:

And - voila! - here it is after blow-drying:

That is really all there is to it! Compare this "rock" to the stark-white plaster casting we started with. There's really no comparison. All of the variations of color really bring out the texture and make it look authentic. And, interestingly, different castings also take the colors a bit differently (as does different types and ages of plaster, apparently).

All that's left to do on this rock to is to weather it (if desired), maybe do some drybrushing to create more highlights, add some "mosses" and other vegetation (ground foam, etc), and - of course - place it on the layout. . . probably somewhere near the front, where such a wonderful bit of modeling can be seen and enjoyed.

I'm almost embarrassed to admit how long I'd put off coloring rocks - you can bet I would've tried it sooner if I'd realized it'd be this easy to do. Of course, this is just one technique - there are certainly others out there and you can play around with different colors to suit the locale you're modeling.

I hope seeing how crazy easy rock coloring is will encourage you to try it for yourself. And if you do, I hope you'll let us know and share your results with us in the comments below.

Happy Modeling & Rock On!*

*sorry - you didn't really think I could resist, did you?

Tuesday Tips

Some tips I learned or remembered during the past week's layout work:

• Be sure the bottom of your backdrop is level or below your subroadbed height (unless you're modeling a mountainous area, I supposed), or else you may have to engage in some "backdropping."
• Don't forget to install headblocks at your turnouts before painting your track (and definitely before doing scenery or ballast).
• Make sure the foundations on your structures are tall enough so that the bottom of your freight doors are at the same height as a boxcar floor.
• Use a respirator and/or open windows and run fans if you're painting track with aerosol spray paint. And be sure you don't spray so much that the pilot light on your furnace ignites the fumes and blows up your house (though you'll have a clean slate for your next layout, you probably won't be in any condition to actually build it).
• If you get stuck on something while working on the layout (I dunno, for example, obsessing over how to do a particular backdrop), move on to something else. No matter how small your layout, there's always something "else" you can do.
• Don't be afraid to redo something if you're not happy with it.

I'll probably forget a few of these (again) myself in the future, but hopefully writing them down here will help me remember them.

What are your favorite tips? What's been especially helpful to you lately to remember? Be sure to let us know in the comments!

Tuesday Tip: Razor Blades, Organizers, Tweezers, and Toothpicks

A couple of Christmases ago(!), I got some stacks of lumber to help detail my Wethersfield Lumber Company scene. Well, actually, they weren't stacks yet - they were in kit form. Ugh. Noch gives you enough material to do eight stacks of lumber in four different configurations. But you have to put them together.

Here's what you get in the box:

Looked a bit intimidating to me at first, but the key to success - other than being methodical and taking your time (and taking a break from it if it becomes too monotonous) - is to get back to basics:

• Use a razor blade to remove the laser-cut parts from the carrier sheet
• Use an organizer to keep all the like parts together and separate from one another (bonus if you label the compartments with the part numbers, or at least organize them in the order they'll be used)
• Use a comfortable pair of tweezers to handle the parts
• Use a toothpick to apply very small amounts of wood glue

Believe it or not, when you have the right tools, a nice area to work, and a little bit of patience, assembly actually becomes - dare I say it? - fun! It definitely helped to do this over a couple of evenings and not try to do them all in one sitting. It also helped to listen to some favorite model railroad podcasts along the way.

And before you know it, you'll be done and have some very nicely detailed lumber stacks for your layout!

Now I just gotta finish Wethersfield Lumber so I can have someplace to put these!